Life Skills Education and Learning

Comments (0)

Transcript of Life Skills Education and Learning

Life Skills Education and Learning in the Post-2015 AgendaContent, adaptation, planning and budgeting at school and national levelsMonitoring and EvaluationLinking to global efforts to measure learning, especially social-emotional learning and 21st Century Skill Sets. Building the evidence base on LSE. Migrating national assessments to higher order thinking rather than rote memorization.Curriculum and InstructionNew Research: Formative and Summative AssessmentEffective assessments need to be linked to teaching (Global Compact on Learning)Formative assessment enhances skill-building when: (1) used to clarify learning goals to students; (2) monitor, provide feedback, and respond to student progress; (3) involves students in self-and peer-assessment (Pellegrino and Hilton 2012). Global efforts should focus on migrating summative national assessments to address higher level thinking (p21.org)Global Evaluation The 2012 Global Evaluation of Life Skills Education (GELSE) included desk review of documents from 40 country offices, in-depth case studies of 7 countries, and surveysFindings and recommendations centered on relevance, coverage, efficiency, and effectiveness and are included in corresponding discussion points throughout this presentationIn 2012-2013, the Board has asked UNICEF to respond to major recommendations of the GELSE21st Century SkillsEvolving technologies, global challenges and changing economies demand new skillsBasic skill requirements and foundational literacy need to reflect ICT prevalence (UNESCO May 2012) Girls and other marginalized populations disproportionately experience an e-literacy gap (UNESCO 2012)21st Century Skill taxonomies overlap with LSE (critical thinking, teamwork) while suggesting new skills such as creativity, innovation and self-direction (p21 May 2012)Education for Employment In 2012, close to 75 million young people were out of work (ILO 2012) and/or excluded from the social benefits that formal employment providesAdolescents and youth express frustration that personal and familial sacrifices for education do not lead to employmentEmployers cites the importance of non-cognitive behavioural (life) skills as critical to success but felt that those skills were not taught effectively in schools (Results for Development 2012)Life Skills EducationEquity Continuing inequities around access and achievementKey actors promote skill-building (foundational, technical, and life skills) for young people as critical to equity in the post 2015 agenda (Save the Children 2013 and LMTR 2013) Global dialogue calls attention to girls or others experiencing "mutually reinforcing disadvantages" (UN Task Team) such as girl urban slum dwellers, indigenous etc.Global FrameworksWhat's next for UNICEF?Access+LearningGELSE RecommendationsUNICEF should develop guidelines for understanding and addressing social norms and religious contexts that are likely to affect implementation, and advice on how advocacy should proceed within that context.UNICEF should recognize and support national plans to build capacity at institutional, organizational and personal levels to lead and support life skills education.FRESH: Indicators at national and school levelsDraft Indicators Existence, quality and dissemination of a comprehensive national-level LSE policy.Percentage of schools that have comprehensive LSE school policies.The extent to which national policies address needs and priorities of childrenThe extent to which national plans address social normsThe extent to which children know, understand and contribute to school policiesThe extent to which policies are known and understood by parents and communitiesAccess +Learning. Addressing the "Skills Mismatch." Seizing the ITC and Innovation Opportunity. Education for Equity. Health and sexuality education. Strategies for Meta/Cognition. Peacebuilding. Discussion points for UNICEF to consider while identifying outcomes for Life Skills Education and charting a course Post-2015.New Research: What effective skill-building looks like in the classroomUsing multiple and varied representations of concepts and tasksEncouraging elaboration, questioning and explanationEngaging Learners in Challenging TasksTeaching with Examples and CasesPriming Student MotivationUsing Formative AssessmentsFor SELA Step-By-Step Approach to TrainingEmphasizing Active Forms of Learning and Allowing PracticeSpecific Time and Attention on Skill-BuildingClearly Defining Goals and ExpectationsPellegrino 2013, 21GELSE RecommendationsSpecific emphasis should be placed on identifying and addressing the needs of marginalised and excluded groups in curricula and learning materials.UNICEF needs to support national curricula that are more child-friendly, focused on equity and meet the real life needs of all children.LSE should, wherever possible, be integrated within the school curriculum so that it is not perceived as an add-on.How to effectively teach life skills?Planning and Policy Coverage of LSE in Formal and Non-Formal EducationProposed Indicator FrameworkPolicy and Planning (adapted from FRESH)Existence, quality and dissemination of a comprehensive national-level LSE policy.Percentage of schools that have comprehensive LSE school policies.Curriculum and Instruction (adapted from FRESH)Priority content and skill-building pedagogy are present in national guidance for school curricula, teacher training and learning assessments.Percentage of schools that provide regular skills-based health education sessions as recommended in the national guidance.Safe Learning Environments (adapted from FRESH)Existence of national school safety standards addressing the physical, socioemotional and skill-building school environment Percentage of schools that meet the national school safety standards (physicaland socio-emotional).CoverageExistence, quality and dissemination of national guidelines and standards for non-formal life skills educationPercentage of out-of-school children participating in LSE through non-formal interventionsNational and SchoolSafe Learning EnvironmentsSchools that support skill- buildingLife Skills and Outcomes for ChildrenBased on LSE literature from the 1990s-until present, LSE supports children to build one or more of the following skills in age-appropriate sequence:Communicate effectivelyResist and refuse unhealthy choices Cooperate and work in teamsManage their emotions and understand the emotions of others Solve problems and conflicts peacefullyThink creatively and criticallySet goals and persist to achieve goals

Tackling the Skills MismatchNew Opportunities and DemandsWhile 89 percent of primary age children are in school, it is unclear how much they learn or how relevant that learning is (UNESCO and Brookings Institute February 2013)250 million children are unable to write, read or count up to minimum standards (UNESCO 2012)Children must be learning for benefits of school to accure (LMTR, Draft 2013) Growing concern about the "results of learning and their social distribution" (UNESCO May 2012)Global focus on results of schooling The Global and Organizational Ecosystem for LSELife skills for AdolescentsHealth PromotionSexuality Education and HIV Life Skills Education at UNICEFDraft IndicatorsPeacebuilding AccessUnderstanding age-appropriate sequencing of life skills. Addressing out of school learners in Alternate Learning Programmes (ALPs) or other sectoral programmes. Coordinating, supporting, monitoring and evaluating out-of-school approaches.GELSENon-formal LSE interventions are playing an important role in reaching out-of-school children and to a holistic approach. It is recommended that support be given to improving coordination for non-formal LSE interventions at national and local levels.UNICEF should support national plans to integrate quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation processes and tools for life skills education among those partners implementing non-formal interventions.Issues to Consider: Life Skills for out-of-schoolParticularly important for post-primary education and adolescents given retention challenges in primaryMany non-formal interventions promote life skills as a component of another sectoral programme (health, protection, livelihoods, civic participation, etc) Non-formal programmes may benefit from aspects that facilitate skill-building (fewer curricular demands, peer education, youth networks, more experience with marginalized groups, etc) that could cross-fertilize formal education approaches to LSEGELSE RecommendationsUNICEF and partners should take a lead in developing the taxonomy of the learning outcomes of LSE interventions that includes both the psychosocial skills and the knowledge associated with the major themes.UNICEF should develop standards for expected results and outcomes at individual, school and national levels. UNICEF should review progress on LSE systematically, and make use of an analytical framework that asks about critical elements of design and implementation. These skills contribute to the goal of children who:Are healthy and remain healthyLearn what they need to succeedRespect their rights and those of othersMake positive contributions to their societiesDiscussion Point: Do these skills and outcomes resonate for UNICEF post 2015? KeyPost 2015: Refers to the ongoing development agenda at the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)LSE: Life Skills EducationCSE: Comprehensive Sexuality AssessmentGELSE: Global Evaluation of Life Skills Education undertaken by UNICEFLMTF: Learning Metrics Task Force, a Task Force convened by the UNESCO Institute for StatisticsFRESH: Focusing Resources on School Health ConsortiumPBEA: Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy ProgrammeALPs: Alternate Learning Programmes

Conflict-Sensitive Education and ResilienceChildren in conflict-affected states are more than three times as likely to be unable to go to school (World Bank 2011) Article 29 of the CRCSignificant overlap between Life Skills, Social and Emotional Learning, and the PBEA goal of “strengthened policies and practices in education for peacebuilding in conflict-affected environments.” Skill-building and priority content are present in national guidance for school curricula, teacher training and learning assessments.Percentage of schools that provide regular skill-building sessions, as recommended in the national guidance.Frequency of teaching, accuracy and age-appropriate expression in curricula

Adapting LSE for relevance. Reflecting the needs and priorities of children for skill-building. Analysis and action planning around social norms.21st Century Skill FrameworkLearning Metrics Task Force: Life skills embedded across learning domainsDraft Indicators and DiscussionExistence, quality and dissemination of national guidelines and standards for non-formal life skills educationPercentage of out-of-school children participating in LSE through non-formal interventionsGuidelines and standards should reflect successful LSE practices developed in NFEDraft Indicators for DiscussionExistence of national school safety standards addressing the socioemotional and skill-building school environment Percentage of schools that meet the national school safety standards (socio-emotional and skill-building).GELSE RecommendationsUNICEF should consider integrating life skills education into the child-friendly schools programming strategy, child-friendly schools being the vehicle to carry UNICEF’s rights mandate into education.Incorporating skill-building pedagogy and content into curricula and assessments. Teaching and learning for skill-building. Training and professional development for skill-building and higher order thinking.New evidence shows that integrated health, LSE and livelihood skills for adolescent girls improve health outcomes (HIV knowledge) and lead to behaviour change (reported condom use) and reduce GBV (girls were more likely to resist sex against their will). (World Bank Presentation at 2012 Youth Economic Opportunities Conference)In 2013, the FRESH consortium updated their M&E framework to provide guidance on integrating health and HIV prevention into educational policy and practice at the national and school levels (FRESH 2013)New Research: Which Skills and Why?Updating life skills traditionally used by life skills based health education to reflect 21st century and livelihood skillsInclude cognition and metacognitionThese include: resilience or "grit," persistence, critical decision-making, flexibility, creativity (LMTF 2013)Good Practices: Policy to PracticeSignificant gaps remain in translating "policy frameworks into costed operational strategies and guidance, supported with nation-wide coordination and M&E mechanism for enforcing/reinforcing multi-sectoral implementation." This refers to CSE but would equally apply to LSE. (ESA Diagnostic Report June 2013)Reinforces the importance of capacity-building for planning, costing, and implementationNational standards and capacity building to support schools create positive skills-building environments, linking to CFS standards

M&E and ToolsMonitoring should be linked to: policy, instruction, environment, and coverage. Tools to include:Checklists (see FRESH 2013)National StandardsBenchmarksFormative assessments across learning across skills/learning domainsSummative assessments across skills/learning domainsWorking and Reference Groups to update goals and learning outcomes at the individual levelsReview and strengthen indicators and sub-indicatorsCreate complementary guidance as necessary to enhance M&E and drive quality imrpovementAdditional steps?